Employment Outlook for Hand Laborers and Material Movers

Overall employment of hand laborers and material movers is projected to grow 7 percent from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Projected employment changes will vary by occupation.

Employment of hand laborers and freight, stock, and material movers – about 2/3 of all the workers in this profile - is projected to grow 8 percent from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Although some warehouses are installing equipment such as high-speed conveyors and sorting systems to increase efficiency, these workers will still be needed to move materials in nearly all sectors of the economy.

Employment of hand packers and packagers is projected to grow 2 percent from 2016 to 2026, slower than the average for all occupations. Grocery stores, which employ many hand packers and packagers, may employ fewer baggers as a growing number of stores also have self-checkouts where customers or existing cashiers bag groceries themselves. However, those employed in warehouses are expected to experience some employment gains as the industry grows.

Employment of refuse and recyclable material collectors is projected to grow 13 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations. Trash collection activity should be expected to increase as the population grows, and collectors will be needed to remove trash.

Employment of cleaners of vehicles and equipment is projected to grow 11 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations. Demand for automotive repair and maintenance services, as well as a growing automobile dealers industry, is expected to contribute to employment growth of cleaners of vehicles and equipment.

Employment of machine feeders and offbearers is projected to grow 2 percent from 2016 to 2026, slower than the average for all occupations. Many of these workers are employed in manufacturing industries, in which some functions are automated, so fewer of these workers will be required.

Job Prospects

Job prospects for hand laborers and material movers are expected to be good. The need to replace workers who leave these occupations should create a large number of job openings.

Typical Pay for Hand Laborers and Material Movers

The median annual wage for hand laborers and material movers was $24,880 in May 2016.
The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $18,510, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $41,570.

Median annual wages for hand laborers and material movers in May 2016 were as follows:

Refuse and recyclable material collectors

$35,270

Machine feeders and offbearers

28,410

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

25,980

Cleaners of vehicles and equipment

22,220

Packers and packagers, hand

22,130

In May 2016, the median annual wages for hand laborers and material movers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Transportation and warehousing

$27,630

Wholesale trade

27,460

Manufacturing

27,260

Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services

22,920

Retail trade

22,520

Some hand laborers and material movers, such as grocery baggers or carwash attendants, may receive tips.

Most workers in these occupations work full time. About 1 in 4 hand laborers; freight, stock and material movers worked part time in 2016.

Shifts longer than 8 hours are common, and sometimes overtime is available. Because materials are shipped around the clock, some workers, especially those in warehousing, work overnight shifts.

What Hand Laborers and Material Movers Do All Day

Hand laborers and material movers manually move freight, stock, or other materials. Some of these workers feed or remove material to or from machines, clean vehicles, pick up unwanted household goods, and pack materials for moving.

The following are examples of types of hand laborers and material movers:

Cleaners of vehicles and equipment wash automobiles and other vehicles, as well as storage tanks, pipelines, and related machinery. They use cleaning products, vacuums, hoses, and brushes. Most of these workers clean cars at a carwash, an automobile dealership, or a rental agency. Some clean industrial equipment at manufacturing firms. Some—for example, those who work at a carwash, also known as carwash attendants—interact with customers.

Hand laborers and freight, stock, and material movers move materials to and from storage and production areas, loading docks, delivery trucks, ships, and containers. Although their specific duties may vary, most of these movers, often called pickers, work in warehouses. Some workers retrieve products from storage and move them to loading areas. Other workers load and unload cargo from a truck. When moving a package, pickers keep track of the package number, sometimes with a hand-held scanner, to ensure proper delivery. Sometimes they open containers and sort the material.

Hand packers and packagers package a variety of materials by hand. They may label cartons, inspect items for defects, and keep records of items packed. Some of these workers pack materials for shipment and move them to a loading dock. Hand packers in grocery stores, also known as grocery baggers, bag groceries for customers at checkout.

Machine feeders and offbearers process materials by feeding them into equipment or by removing them from equipment. The equipment is generally operated by other workers, such as material moving machine operators. Machine feeders and offbearers help the operator if the machine becomes jammed or needs minor repairs. Machine feeders also track the amount of material they process during a shift.

Refuse and recyclable material collectors gather garbage and recyclables from homes and businesses to transport to a dump, landfill, or recycling center. Many collectors lift garbage cans by hand and empty them into their truck. Some collectors drive the garbage or recycling truck along a scheduled route and may use a hydraulic lift to empty the contents of a dumpster into the truck.

Work Environment for Hand Laborers and Material Movers

Hand laborers and material movers held about 3.9 million jobs in 2016. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up hand laborers and material movers was distributed as follows:

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

2,628,400

Packers and packagers, hand

710,800

Cleaners of vehicles and equipment

369,200

Refuse and recyclable material collectors

136,000

Machine feeders and offbearers

87,700

The largest employers of hand laborers and material movers were as follows:

Transportation and warehousing

22%

Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services

21

Retail trade

15

Manufacturing

14

Wholesale trade

12

Hand laborers and material movers lift and carry heavy objects, and their work is usually repetitive and physically demanding. They bend, kneel, crouch, or crawl in awkward positions.

Injuries and Illnesses

Hand laborers; freight, stock, and material movers have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations. Refuse and recyclable material collectors and cleaners of vehicles and equipment have a higher rate of injuries and illnesses than the national average. Moving heavy objects around warehouses or onto trucks, or bending while cleaning a vehicle, may lead to sprains, strains, or overexertion.

Work Schedules

Most workers in these occupations work full time. About 1 in 4 hand laborers; freight, stock and material movers worked part time in 2016.

Shifts longer than 8 hours are common, and sometimes overtime is available. Because materials are shipped around the clock, some workers, especially those in warehousing, work overnight shifts.

How To Become a Hand Laborer or Material Mover

There are usually no formal educational requirements for anyone to become a hand laborer or material mover. Employers typically require only that applicants be physically able to perform the work.

Education

There are no formal educational requirements for anyone to become a hand laborer or material mover.

Training

Most positions for hand laborers and material movers require less than 1 month of on-the-job training. Some workers need only a few days of training, and most training is done by a supervisor or a more experienced worker who decides when trainees are ready to work on their own.